Unseen
by velvet-sometimes
Summary: Does the truth have to be seen to be believed? Shippou thinks so - but Rin isn't quite so sure. A hidden memory - a hidden truth...and all the feelings they call to, just beneath the surface. A tale of Cat Burglars, spinning tops, and chasing down your demons.
1. Cat Burglars Should Wear Black

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, I also am not making any money from this fanwork.  
**

**Cat Burglars Should Wear Black. **

There was something seductive about slipping through a building in the middle of the night. Unseen and unheard. Passing invisibly under the watchful eyes of a security camera. There was something dangerous about it, exhilarating.

But then, The Koma Bandit, as the press had so announced, thrived on danger. On the challenge. Better leave your doors unlocked and your possessions out in the open, because he only wants what he has to work for.

And oh was he going to have to work for this little pretty. It was a book. A rare book. The only left of it's kind.

He'd stalked it for months, waiting. Biding his time. And now here he was, slipping silently through dark hallways of the Library, climbing over the high bookcases, trying not to snicker at the image below him of innocent little children sleeping in the isles. A few whispering by flashlight.

All unaware of the cat burglar that prowled above their heads. Growing ever closer to his quarry.

The term made him laugh as he finally came upon the door that barred all from the rarest books on the grounds, his tails swishing in anticipation of picking this lock.

Cat burglar. As if he could have ever been something so frivolous and haughty as a feline. Such lazy creatures.

Picking the lock was an exceedingly simple task though, as was searching out his prize; the library's defenses woefully inadequate in face of the master thief. But that wasn't why he'd chosen this stage to sit his heist. It was the elementary school children having their lock down in the building that whispered of such a delicious challenge.

It was the lone little girl he could hear approaching down the silent hallway, the patter of her bared feet and the innocent swing of her flashlight as she searched out a bathroom in the winding, labyrinthine hallways that made this worth it.

He waited in his doorway until she was close. Neither approaching nor hiding from the winding sweep of her light; he so hoped she would notice him. Make this fun.

Daring escapes were so much more exciting when you actually had something to run from.

And to his immense pleasure, she did. Calling out softly, hesitantly in the darkness. "I need to go to the bathroom." Her voice was sleepy and imploring. Soft and young and oh so adorable.

She'd obvious awakened for this quest; her nightgown rumpled on her tiny body, and her hair tangled; a lopsided side-ponytail swaying limply as she turned her head.

He stepped forward with a smile on his face as he bent down slightly to offer her his hand, in his other the book he'd come for.

"I'll show you the way." He purred, smiling brightly at the girl when she accepted the proffered appendage without hesitation.

"Thank you, Mr..."

"Shippou." He told her, his smile softening when she rubbed at her drooping eyelids, taking the opportunity to swing her up into his arms and carry her against his hip. "You can just call me Shi-chan though, little one."

"'m Rin." She mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting her head fall into the crook of his neck as his steady gait carried them toward her destination.

He hadn't been expecting the girl to be so adorably trusting of his presence, and immediately disregarded his plan of frightening her into sounding an alarm. He'd always had a soft spot for children, after all, and instead found himself overcome by the urge to take her back to bed and tuck her in as she stepped back out of the pitch-black bathroom and lifted her arms in a wordless request for him to carry her again.

And he did so, without question. "'m tired, Shi-chan."

"As you should be, little one, it's _very_ late."

He could feel her gaze on him, bright hazel eyes taking in the image of his profile."How'd your hair get so long and red? It's very pretty."

He turned slightly to look at her in reply, and flicked her bangs out of her sleepy eyes with one clawed hand. "It's because I'm Youkai." he told her with a smile, loving the way her eyes widened and her expression turned luminous with curiosity.

"Really?" she asked in awe, petting the long strands of his hair and pulling at his lips so she could get a better view of his pointed canines. "Are you kitty-cat?"

He endured her probing with good-natured patience; admitting silently to himself that the little thing was growing on him, even though she'd accused him of being a cat. "No," he laughed. "I'm a fox spirit."

It was then that he set her on her feet, to her back the door that lead to the rest of her classmates, and crouched down low on his paws so he could look her in the eye. "And I have a gift for you."

Shippou spun his hand around in the air, pulling a spinning top out of the nothingness, and she squealed in joy, watching in rapt attention as he showed her how it spun, before placing it in her hand.

And with that, he was standing back up to his full height, saluting her with his prized book and taking off down the hallway. "Sleep well."

"Goodnight Shi-chan!"

The Koma Bandit laughed as he disappeared.

**Note: Hello Hello everyone! Welcome to my newest drabble set. I know this opening chapter is slightly longer than my norm, but please don't get your hopes up; the rest will be a normal drabble length.  
**


	2. Chasing your Tail

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, I also am not making any money from this fanwork.  
**

**Chasing your Tail**

"Detective Rinniko-san, I trust you've seen the front page news this morning."

The young woman froze, startled, at the sound of her co-worker's voice calling out from behind her in the early morning, and she spun around to face him.

"Kohaku-san, you startled me. Please, just call me Rin; it's not as if we haven't known each other for years." she told him with a slight bow. "And yes, sir. I had a feeling that someone was going to go after the Jade Comb after the museum upped their security; they must have had a tip off. Our boys will have the case wrapped up in no time, though."

The senior officer approached then, leaning against the table beside her breakfast, his choppy black hair looking slightly bedraggled, as if he'd dragged his hands through it in frustration. "You're an expert on The Kuma Bandit, aren't you, Detective? I hear you've been following his exploits for years."

She blinked at that seemingly random question, before nodded softly, and sitting back down at the break-room table. "Sit sir, please." And she only continued once he's relaxed into his own seat, loosening his tie. "I guess you could say that I am something of an expert, I've had an interest in his heists since I was a little girl."

Her superior nodded at that. "Good. Then you'll be working directly with Mr. Mizushima-sama when his flight comes in; apparently what the papers _did_ print was enough for The Consultant to hop on a plane to come chasing that phantom menace."

Rin's eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Mizushima-sama is coming to _Tokyo_? Last I heard, he was chasing the Bandit through Paris. And we don't even have verification that it really _was_ the Kuma Bandit; they've not finished processing the crime scene yet."

"We found a spinning top in the janitors closet, right underneath the loose panel he'd used to crawl through the air ducts." He admitted with a sigh, and before she could open her mouth to question him, he continued. "You're officially the lead investigator on the case, Rinniko-san, and will be Mr. Mizushima-sama's liaison. Keep an eye on him. Keep him out of trouble. He'll be arriving in your office are 11am, sharp."

"But sir..."

"You're the only person we've got on the force who knows enough about The Bandit to keep up with him. I hear he's notorious for trying to leave the police out of the loop, and Kitsune, to boot. So you'll have to watch out around him. Don't accept anything he offers. Don't let him get the upper hand; you know what tricksters they are."

She couldn't stop the brilliant smile from crawling up her face at that. "Yes sir."

**Note: Tada  
**


	3. Nervous Tension

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, I also am not making any money from this fanwork.  
**

**"nervous tension"**

There was a nervous tension in the lines of the young detectives shoulders when he stepped through her door in his traditional _kosode_ and _hakama. _

She was a lovely woman, with long, dark hair that flowed down her back, and a determination in her eyes as she looked over the stack of files scattered haphazardly atop her desk. The entire place was covered in smeared ink and coffee stains, smelling of frustration and excitement and female.

Her office was a pleasant diversion from the smells of testosterone and competition that saturated the rest of the station and made him want to sneeze.

Young, as well; fresh. This was probably to be one of her first big cases. And Shippou silently pondered that for a moment, his mind rolling over the facts of her as he tried to come to the conclusion of why she had been chosen to bear the honor of his company.

So he looked closer at the files scattered about er desk, and his eyes widened slightly at the information he saw there.

The Kuma Bandit's name was splashed across every page, next to the flowing, scrawled script of someone who spent many hours pouring over the content.

"So you are a fan I of my quarry, I see. _Interesting_."

Her head snapped up at his words, bringing him into her notice, and she stood the moment her eyes settled on him, bowing quickly in greeting.

And making her necklace drop from the cleaving of her shirt at the intensity of the movement.

Startling him into reaching toward her to take the charm into his hand and weigh it against his palm.

It's surface was worn, the corners chips and bright paint faded, but it was unmistakeable a spinning top, strung on a chain.

Unmistakably his.

She nodded at that. "My name is Kikuch Rinniko, but please, call me Rin. And yes. You could say that I have an interest in the man."

"Mizushima Shippou, and you've met him then I take it. What a surprising turn of events; no one ever has before." realization hit in mere seconds, and his eyes widened marginally before he managed to hide the emotion. Images of a rumpled child with a soft voice and wonder in her gaze assaulted his mind, before he understood what a threat she could be. Someone who knew who he was. "Does your superior know of your encounter with the man?"

She shook her head. "No, Mizushima-sama. There has never been a need to tell anyone of the event before today."

He nodded sharply at that, dropping the charm back into her shirt. "Good. Let no one know that you have met this man; it will give us the advantage."

**Note: Evening, ladies and gentleman.  
**


	4. A Skip, a Hop, and a Leap of Faith

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, I also am not making any money from this fanwork.  
**

**_A __S__kip, a __H__op, and a __L__eap of __F__aith_**

"I've been assigned as your personal liaison, given that I am the only on the force with enough knowledge of our quarry to keep up with you should any attempts be made to withhold information. I trust that I have your full cooperation in these matters, though." Rin pulled back from the man slightly, making known that the physical contact was out of bounds.

"I see my reputation proceeds me." He replied with an amused smirk tilting at his lips. "Of course you will have my cooperation, Detective. I would never deny a pretty lady what she wished for."

She nodded slightly, ignoring his flirtatious words and waiting until he'd taken his seat to speak. "Tell me, why do you think The Bandit is here, Mizushima-sama? My research says that he very rarely visits the same city twice within the same handful of decades; he's much more careful about how he target's his heists, and that jade comb was barely worth his notice."

Shippou hummed in thought for a moment, leaning back slightly to lounge in his chair. "Well, my darling little detective, that would be because he's after something grander than just a comb. The bandit has been laying low for a few years now; he may be attempting to bring himself back into the spot light."

"But why?" She asked, obviously frustrated as she began to once again shuffle through her papers. "Why is he doing this now?"

"His last hurrah maybe." The fox spirit replied softly, flipping his bangs from his eyes with the flick of a claw. "He has been at this for more than a century, after all; I myself have been following his exploits for decades. Everyone has to retire sometime."

Shippou would never forget the look of desperate urgency that he saw in the young detectives eyes at the very idea of his words ringing true, and he found himself consumed with curiosity aimed at the woman who was sitting before him; an enigma in this black and white world of cops and robbers he so liked to play in. "Then we must work like never before; it is imperative that he is found before this last great heist. If we don't find him now; we never will."

**Note: Sorry for the delay boys and girls; i was getting settled into my new apartment and at my new job, so hopefully in the next few weeks i'll be active and updating more.  
**


	5. Rain, Rain, Go Away

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha or any of it's characters, I also am not making any money from this fanwork.  
**

**_Rain, Rain, Go Away_**

Working with the young detective was going to prove to be more invigorating for Shippou than anything he'd done in a long time. And with that thought in his head, he smiled. "Fret not. Now, Detective-Chan, please; It has been many many years since I have been to Tokyo. I would be very thankful to you if you'd be so kind as to give me a tour of the city."

"But, Mizushima-sama, I'm on the clock." she protested. "And there is so much work to be done!"

He just laughed, standing up and extending his hand to her from across the desk. "Work may begin tomorrow. Today let us see what there is to see. You never know, Detective-Chan, it might do some good to get out of the office for a change and really walk around."

she sighed, rubbing her brow. "If we don't find him now, Mr. Mizushima-sama, then there really will be no hope."

"Shippou." He corrected, smile growing. "And I'll carry you out of this room if I have to, Detective-Chan. It won't kill you to have fun for once. And we'll even visit some museums; scope out places he might hit if that makes you feel better about wasting the time."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Leg work."

He made a 'come hither' gesture with his hand, and after a long moment of engaging in a staring contest, she finally relented, grabbing hold of his hand and allowing him to tow her to her feet.

"Fine. Fine. I'll play tour guide, but just this once; then its back to work, do you understand me, Mizushima-sama?"

"Shippou," He corrected. "And of course Detective-Chan."

**Note: So much to do, so little time to do it. Here's a chapter to tide you over until my next day off of work.  
**


End file.
